Employer of Record in India
Hire your first India employees in 5 to 10 working days, without incorporating a private limited company. We act as the legal employer for payroll, Provident Fund, Employee State Insurance, Gratuity and Tax Deducted at Source; you direct the work and own the intellectual property.
When EOR is the right choice
Testing India with 1 to 25 hires before committing capital to entity setup.
Need a senior India hire onboarded within 2 weeks for a live project.
Entity registration is in flight (60 to 120 days) and you cannot wait to hire.
You expect to stay under 25 Full Time Equivalents for the next 18 months.
What our India EOR covers
EOR vs Own Entity, side by side
| Dimension | EOR | Own Entity |
|---|---|---|
| Time to first hire | 5 to 10 working days | 90 to 180 days |
| Setup cost | Zero | USD 25,000 to 60,000 |
| Per FTE cost premium | USD 200 to 500 per month | Nil after setup |
| Breakeven | Cost effective up to 25 to 50 FTEs | Cost effective beyond 25 to 50 FTEs |
| Intellectual Property control | Via contract assignment | Direct, default |
| Special Economic Zone tax benefits | Not available | Available |
| Brand presence | Limited | Full |
Frequently asked questions
An Employer of Record (EOR) is a third party that legally employs your India workforce on your behalf, handling payroll, statutory benefits (Provident Fund, Employee State Insurance, Gratuity), tax deductions (Tax Deducted at Source), and labour law compliance, while you direct the day to day work. It lets you hire in India in 5 to 10 working days without incorporating an entity.
Use EOR for your first 1 to 25 hires, market entry pilots, or if you plan to test India for 12 to 18 months before committing. Move to your own private limited company once you cross 25 to 50 Full Time Equivalents (FTEs), or when intellectual property assignment, Special Economic Zone tax benefits or Software Technology Parks of India registration become material.
Typically USD 200 to 500 per Full Time Equivalent per month, on top of the employee’s salary and statutory cost. Many EOR providers also bundle a one time onboarding fee of USD 300 to 500 per hire.
Yes. EOR operates under standard Indian labour law as a contract staffing arrangement. The EOR is the legal employer; the client is the principal employer for safety, work direction and end output. The Contract Labour Act, the Code on Wages and the Industrial Relations Code govern the relationship.
Yes, an Indian EOR can sponsor an Employment Visa for a foreign national you wish to deploy to India, subject to the standard USD 25,000 minimum annual salary threshold and Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) registration.
A well drafted EOR contract assigns all intellectual property created by the EOR employee directly to your parent entity, with the EOR acting as a contractual intermediary. Insist on a clear, country agnostic IP assignment clause before signing.
Hire your first India employee in under 2 weeks
Send us the role, the salary band and the start date. We come back with a contract draft and a fully loaded cost within 48 hours.